Week 2: Tua & Oh!

09/18/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Dolphins, Cowboys & Some Surprise Teams Off to Blistering 2-0 Starts

If you had questions after Week 1 season-opening performances, Week 2 may have provided answers. Yes, the Cowboys defense is that good. Yes, the Dolphins offense is that explosive. And yes, the Bengals are in trouble. Week 2 saw some teams begin to shake the rust off, but two more games tonight will help us answer some more questions (see below). For the moment, eight teams are 2-0 and eight teams are 0-2. It’s a long season, but not long enough to waste time with a slow start. Here’s our recap of Week 2 and the top performances from Sunday.

Week 2 Recap

Dolphins Start Tua-&-Oh: After hanging on to beat the Patriots on Sunday Night Football (24-17), Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are the only undefeated team in the AFC East. Miami has put up 70 points combined in two straight road wins to start the season.

Undefeated NFC East: After all four NFC East teams won in Week 2 (Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders), the division is now 6-0 in inter-divisional play and 7-1 including Cowboys-Giants divisional Week 1 matchup. Dallas beat the Jets in a blowout (30-10), and the Cowboys have now outscored opponents by a margin of 70-10 through two games.

Bills Bounce Back: After a struggling Week 1 for the Bills on MNF, Buffalo and Josh Allen bounced back with a 38-10 rout against the Raiders. Josh Allen (31/37, 274 yards, 3 TDs) looked like his usual self.

Bijan is a Problem: The Falcons gave rookie RB Bijan Robinson 23 touches and he racked up the second-most yards (172) of any ballcarrier in Week 2. The Falcons (2-0) beat the Packers (25-24), and Atlanta seems to have a surprisingly good offense.

Hail Mary Finish: Russell Wilson and the Broncos completed a wild Hail Mary in the final seconds against the Commanders, but they didn’t get the 2-point conversion to force overtime (35-33). Washington, behind QB Sam Howell and new OC Eric Bienemy, are 2-0. The Broncos and new HC Sean Payton are 0-2.

Week 2 Top Performers

Quarterbacks

K. Cousins (MIN): 31/44, 364 yards, 4 TDs

R. Wilson (DEN): 18/32, 364 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

G. Smith (SEA): 32/41, 348 total yards, 2 TDs

J. Allen (BUF): 31/37, 281 total yards, 3 TDs

L. Jackson (BAL): 24/33, 291 total yards, 2 TDs

Running Backs

D. Swift (PHI): 31 touches, 181 yards, 1 TD

B. Robinson (ATL): 23 touches, 172 yards

J. Cook (BUF): 21 touches, 159 yards

C. McCaffrey (SF): 23 touches, 135 yards, 1 TD